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Other view: Domestic violence an issue that deserves serious attention

Passage by the House on May 16 of the bill reauthorizing programs operated under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 sets the stage for negotiations to begin between the House and the Senate to hammer out a final version. The bill that emerges is likely to become law before elections this fall.

The VAWA bill faced a fierce battle in the House, which voted 222 to 205 for its passage, with 216 Republicans and six Democrats supporting it.

The House bill omits three provisions of the more expansive Senate bill approved 68 to 31 in April. The Senate measure garnered support from 15 Republicans.

The House omitted the Senate provision that would allow Indian tribal courts to try certain non-Indians accused of committing crimes of domestic violence on reservations. Republicans say that would be unconstitutional.

The Senate provision expanding the number of temporary visas for illegal immigrant victims of domestic violence was also stripped by the House. It also scrapped the Senate provision that would extend protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender victims of domestic violence.

The Violence Against Women Act has provided lifesaving assistance to hundreds of thousands of women since its initial passage and has previously been renewed with bipartisan support. But not this time.

Since bipartisanship is practically nonexistent in Congress these days, it’s no surprise both parties are fighting over which version of the bill becomes law. And that is a crying shame.

Helping all battered women and men — heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, transgender, Native American, legal and illegal immigrants — should be viewed by our elected leaders as more important than scoring political points with the electorate.

Both parties are to blame for the current inability to compromise in Congress. Democrats are quick to accuse Republicans of waging war on women, but it’s also obvious they’re looking to make political hay by pushing Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to choose between the House bill and the Senate measure. Republicans, on the other hand, won’t budge on their position either, saying the Democrats are trying to pick a fight and are exploiting the VAWA legislation for political gain.

The leaders of this country’s two main political parties are too busy pushing their own conservative and liberal agendas to do what they were elected to do — govern. ...